Prior art in the field of books, and particularly children's books, has commonly used leaves of a substantial thickness so that a book of relatively few pages would have a substantial total thickness. This concept has been extended to the point of using a number of identically shaped pages to form a book which has a general outline of an object, such as a human form, or of an article, for instance a truck, which is visible as such from one primary point or direction of view. The present invention provides for a book with contoured leaves of a variety of different shapes or sizes so that the assembled book provides a three-dimensional sculpture and has a shape which is recognizable as a three-dimensional object or unique artistic form from virtually any angle of view. Additionally, by varying the method by which the book is assembled, the leaves of the opened book structure can be used to form a flat two dimensional structure which can be arranged in the form of a board upon which a game can be played or as a poster or other two dimensional structure having a different artistic or recognizable form. The three-dimensional structure of the closed book is further capable of being provided with an internal recess which provides an enclosed compartment for containing items such as game pieces or which may serve as a packaging container for goods.
Throughout this specification the term three-dimensional structure as applied to this invention is intended to refer to a structure forming a sculpture in the round. As will be seen from the following description of the invention, the leaves of the book-like structures described herein are preferably of substantial thickness and the many combined leaves in a book-like structure together are of substantial thickness whereby the smaller dimension of this latter thickness or of the width and breadth dimensions of the leaves of the structure, normal to the direction of thickness, will be at least a very substantial proportion of the next larger of the other two of these three dimensions. For a three-dimensional structure wherein the leaves are not all essentially parallel, the three dimensions to be compared for such proportions would be length, width and height. For example this proportion of the smallest dimension to the next larger of the other two dimensions is preferably at least 50 percent. As defined in Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), the term "in the round" means "in full sculptured form unattached to a background". It is freestanding as distinguished from relief. Relief on the other hand is defined as a mode of sculpture in which forms and figures are distinguished from a surrounding plane surface.
Reference herein to three-dimensional configurations is intended to refer to three-dimensional objects which are "sculpture in the round". Applicant's three-dimensional objects are intended to be freestanding objects and the three-dimensional configuration of the invention is recognizable from at least all sides and the top and even in the case of an object which can be raised or tilted to see the bottom, or is supported on a pedestal or leg structure, from even the underside of the object.
The structures made according to the present invention are also intended to be distinguished from sculpture in high relief which is merely sculpture in which half or more of the natural dimensions of the form project from a surface and are integral with that surface.
Although the three-dimensional configurations of the present invention may rest on a surface, they are not extensions nor an integral part of a surface, are not properly defined as being objects in basrelief or high relief and are distinct therefrom.